Original
In 1971 Roald Dahl's unique book was adapted to the big screen and fascinated a generation. The film was called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Gene Wilder created an iconic depiction of the titular character. I really like this film, it's warm and actually really funny; Wilder delivers some cracking lines that wouldn't look out of place in today's comedy movies. It has a solid story, you enjoy watching the characters interact with the factory and for it's time it has some pretty good practical effects. A true classic.
Remake
Along comes 2005 and with it a film that actually has the same title as it's source material, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Johnny Depp becomes the chocolatier and popular child actor Freddie Highmore is Charlie Bucket. Unlike the original, this adaptation does stick much closer to the book and obviously CGI makes for some awesome visuals along with more of a science fiction feel than the original's fantasy vibe. Johnny Depp's Wonka though is where I think it fails, his portrayal makes him seem very weird and even a bit mentally unstable, which I guess what comes when you have Tim Burton directing.
Comparison
I'm glad that the 2005 adaptation stuck closer to the book with making the setting British again and using the actual songs (which were pretty catchy) but in the end Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory caught the imagination of many audiences and so today the original wins.
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